Developer Joe Amato seeks tax relief for shopping center

Real estate developer Joe Amato, who purchased the East End Centre in March for $3 million, thinks he’s paying too much in taxes on the Wilkes-Barre Township shopping center he’s trying to revitalize.

Amato, best known for being a former drag racing champion, filed a civil action Wednesday seeking to reduce the tax burden on the property, which the county has assessed at $6,929,200.

After Amato purchased the property, he filed an appeal of the taxes, seeking to have the real estate assessed near the market value, according to his filing.

Following a hearing before the Luzerne County Board of Assessment Appeals, the board in July denied Amato’s request to lower the assessed value of the property and kept the tax assessment the same, his filing says.

Amato is now seeking a hearing in Luzerne County Court on the matter.

“The amount of the aforementioned assessment is not uniform in comparison with other real estate in the district,” Amato’s attorney Angelo Terrana wrote in the filing.”The assessment of the Appellant’s property is substantially higher than assessments of comparable properties in the taxing district.”

Since purchasing the shopping complex in March, Amato has attracted several new tenants, including KISS Theatre, Weight Watchers and the discount department store Gabe’s.

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

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